Real Haunted House

Located north-west of Aberdeen, Scotland is the five-towered castle of Fyvie. Each of its five towers are named for the powerful families who owned this beautiful example of baronial architecture. Built on in sections over the years, one might think Fyvie would appear slapped together and architecturally awkward, but this three-story castle somehow makes it all look like it should be exactly the way it is.

Already in the records in 1296, Fyvie was at one time held by Robert the Bruce as a hunting lodge and later passed into the hands of the Gordon family (the family of the famous Lord Byron). It has had its share of royal visitors and men of far lesser means, and it has a history that runs in parallel with some of the bloodiest and most tumultuous times in Scottish history, so it is no surprise that it also has its share of ghosts.

Perhaps the most famous ghost in Fyvie is the ghost of Dame Lilias (or Lilies) Drummond. In 1592 Lilias Drummond married Alexander Seton, Lord Fyvie. For nine years it seemed they were relatively content and Lilias bore Alexander five daughters. Yes, perhaps you can already imagine the troubleâ??five girls, five dowries and no heir. The rumor goes that Alexander began an affair with Lady Grizel Leslie shortly before Liliasâ??s sudden (and yet unexplained) death. Some claim Lilias died of a broken heartâ??some suspect foul play. We do know that six months after Liliasâ?? death, Alexander married Lady Leslie. Retiring to their bedchamber, they were startled by strange noises outsideâ??like the sighs of a disillusioned woman. Though no intruder was seen, with the dawn they noticed a bizarre new addition to one windowsill high in the wallâ??carved upside down were letters spelling D. LILIAS DRUMMOND. The carving remains as part of the mystery of Fyvie Castle as does Liliasâ?? ghost. She can supposedly be seen from time to time on the castleâ??s main staircase and occasionally walks the halls of the home that was once rightfully hers.

A less well known ghost is supposedly that of Andrew Lammie, an 18th century trumpeter who fell in love with the local millerâ??s daughter, Agnes. But Agnesâ?? parents didnâ??t approve of Andrew. When the Lord of Fyvie learned they were meeting in secret he became outraged, wanting the lass as his lover. In a fit of rage he kidnapped Andrew and had him sold and shipped to the West Indies as a slave. Legend claims that Andrew finally managed to escape and return for Agnes several years later, but by then it was too late. Agnes had died shortly after heâ??d been stolen away, perhaps losing all hope of happiness. Andrew then cursed the Lords of Fyvie, proclaiming that the sound of a trumpet would foretell the death of each Lord as a reminder of the treatment he and his love had suffered. Since Andrewâ??s death, a trumpet has been heard in the deepest hours of night just before each Lord of Fyvie died. Occasionally people have also reported seeing a man dressed in a fine tartan and standing near the wallâ??could it be Andrew hoping and still waiting to be reunited with his love?

Fyvie is not only a haunted castle, but also a cursed castle. Thomas the Rhymer, known also as True Thomas, was a well known prophet who had supposedly received his gift of Sight because of time spent â??under the hollow hillâ? with the Fae Queen. Thomas had a habit of traveling the land and requesting hospitality wherever he stopped. In those days hospitalityâ??a meal, entertainment and a place to sleepâ??was regularly granted to travelers. Those were superstitious times and many believed the gods and devils roamed the Earth freely, checking up on mortals whenever curiosity struck them. Rather than accidentally offend a vengeful god, people tried to grant hospitality whenever possible. So it was simply understood that when Thomas the Rhymer mentioned wanting hospitality he should be given it. But Thomas tended to prophesy tragedy…

Two main versions of the legend surrounding Thomas and Fyvie are popularly known today. The first alludes to the castleâ??s owners being worried about what Thomas might prophesy in their castle, so they refused him hospitality outright. Not only is this unlikely, it would have been viewed as exceedingly foolhardy. The other version of the tale is that Fyvie kept its doors open for either seven years and a day or seven and a half years waiting for Thomasâ??then, on a gusty day Thomas approached and the wind slammed the door shut. Either way, the outcome of the stories is the sameâ??Thomas cursed the castle with a rhyme that essentially proclaimed:

Fyvie, Fyvie, thouâ??ll never thrive
As long as thereâ??s in thee stones three:
Thereâ??s one in the oldest tower,
Thereâ??s one in the ladyâ??s bower,
Thereâ??s one in the water-gate,
And these three stones youâ??ll never get!

People have interpreted the prophetâ??s curse as relating to three stones that will weep when the Lord of Fyvie is in danger. One stone seems to have been found and does exude water from time to timeâ??seemingly not in relationship to other rocks throughout the rest of the castle. Others interpret the curse as relating to primogeniture and the castle and a need to return three stones to their original location.

Since the time of Thomas the Rhymerâ??s curse, Fyvie Castle has had its share of problems. No castle heir has been born on the estate and no father has been able to pass the estate to his firstborn sonâ??the eldest boys never outlast their fathers.

Fyvie Castle has been held by the National Trust of Scotland since 1984 and is open to the public during the summer. Visitors, though not always rewarded with ghostly sightings, do find much to see inside, from the lavish heraldic decorations to original paintings by the likes Raeburn and Romney.

put some scary videos on this dang website other than this aint nothing scary by:andrew niyza lala nina and

xiola says:

August 14, 2009, 11:38 am

I LIVE THERE

:):(:(:):(:)(:(:):(:):(

kate says:

October 27, 2009, 10:16 am

I so wanna go there

J-Syn says:

January 13, 2010, 7:08 pm

I’d love to live there. 😀

christina says:

January 13, 2010, 10:46 pm

this castle is beautiful i have been there and my father worked there as a teenager there are a lot of stories surrounding this castle and when you tour it another is a ghost called the green lady she travels the halls and so far hasn’t harmed anyone but has startled a few if you get the chance to go i stongley recommend going it is a beautiful estate.

Rosa says:

March 29, 2010, 12:34 pm

Apparently so many ghost encounters occured in one particular part of the castle the particular area had to be closed down. All wittnesses were to terrified to retell what happened. I cannot find anything about this on the web and I grow insanely curious. Can somebody please (becoming highly unlikely) classify this? Thanks. I apolagize for any bad grammer or spelling mistakes. My real name is not Rosa :-))

Rosa says:

March 29, 2010, 12:41 pm

By the way I’m not an insane adult, jjust a highly but unusally inquisative and slightly strange teenage girl. Who is also a slight Grammer freak. ‘Rosa’ ;-0

Rosa says:

March 30, 2010, 11:15 am

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rosa says:

March 30, 2010, 11:27 am

For some reason the time is all wrong in my last message-
it’s like half four (in the afternoon).

Rosa

Rosa says:

March 30, 2010, 1:34 pm

It’s not really 11.15am.
Ha.

Rosa says:

April 2, 2010, 6:33 am

I am very impatient

Rosa

Benley Dirk McTavington says:

July 30, 2010, 6:59 pm

My grandparents used to work and live at Fyvie Castle in the 80’s and early 90’s, I spent many a happy school holiday there as a child. I never saw any of the ghosts though, but not for lack of trying! My granddad’s ashes are scattered over the lake now.

Esmeralda says:

September 27, 2010, 9:54 pm

I would totally tell Marilyn Manson to live there with me LOL

hunter leaf-liebich says:

October 9, 2010, 1:51 am

my grandpa is sueing the scottland thing cause hes next in line to inhaerit the castle isnt that cool

rachelle says:

October 27, 2010, 1:57 pm

that looks like a scary place to be some people might not think so but i do

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